Temple cuts 75 jobs at Jeanes Hospital

By Harold Brubaker, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: March 06, 2014

Temple University Health System said Tuesday that it is converting Jeanes Hospital to primarily private rooms, and cutting 75 full- and part-time positions at the facility in Philadelphia's Fox Chase section.

Temple, which reported an overall operating loss of $23.9 million for the six months ended Dec. 31, cited the widespread industry trend of declining hospital admissions as a key reason for the changes.

Hospitals have also been dealing with an increase in hospital stays that do not count as full admissions and have lower reimbursement rates.

At Jeanes, in the fiscal year ending June 30, admissions are expected to fall to 6,852, down 10 percent from 7,626 in fiscal 2013. Meanwhile, the lower-paying "observation stays" are expected to increase to 1,675 from 1,523 in the same periods.

Other factors in the changes at Jeanes include "the movement to outpatient, reductions in reimbursement rates, reduced government funding," Temple spokeswoman Rebecca Harmon said.

Jeanes has 176 licensed beds. Under the new arrangement, management expects to use 112 beds daily for full admissions and the lower-paying stays.

Among the affected employees are clinicians, ancillary technical staff, management, and support personnel, Harmon said. All will be considered for open positions elsewhere in the Temple system.

Harmon said Jeanes will operate as a community hospital with certain clinical specialties, such as cardiovascular services; ear, nose, and throat services; neurology and neurosurgery; and orthopedic surgery. A new medical-surgery unit is opening soon, Harmon said.